Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus

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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Description: An Ohio law criminalizes political speech that a state agency determines to be “false.” Former U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus sought to use the statute against the Susan B. Anthony List because the group attempted to erect billboards in his district during the 2010 election cycle. The billboards truthfully educated his constituents about his vote in support of the taxpayer funding of abortion by his vote in favor of the Affordable Care Act. One part of the lawsuit concerns whether SBA List can sue against the Ohio law under the First Amendment; another part of the lawsuit concerns Rep. Driehaus's accusation of defamation against SBA List.

Federal court strikes down Ohio ‘truth commission’ law

Thursday, September 11, 2014

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Casey Mattox regarding a federal court’s decision Thursday in Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus to strike down an Ohio law that silenced the pro-life group’s ability to speak out about an elected official’s position on Obamacare:

“The First Amendment forbids government from acting as a ‘truth commission’ on matters of public debate. The court rightly understood that an Orwellian ‘ministry of truth’ has no place under the Constitution and has upheld the freedom of Susan B. Anthony List and all the people of Ohio to speak in accordance with their views.”

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.

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Additional resources: Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus

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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Previous news releases:

2014-06-16: Supreme Court: Americans have right to speak up for free speech

2014-04-22: ADF on oral arguments in SBA List case: Americans have right to speak up for free speech

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ABOUT Casey Mattox

Casey Mattox serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom. His litigation efforts focus on sanctity of human life issues, including waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars by the abortion industry. Prior to serving with ADF, Mattox litigated for the Christian Legal Society Center for Law & Religious Freedom, as well as the Rutherford Institute, and clerked for Justice Champ Lyons of the Alabama Supreme Court. Mattox earned his J.D. from Boston College Law School and is a member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and numerous federal courts.